Brief case and similar article



Nov. 17, 1936. J. ROTH 2,061,091

BRIEF CASE AND SIMILAR ARTICLE Filed Aug. 8, 1935 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1936 TJNTTEU STATES PATENT OFFICE Jacob Roth,

Application August 8 2 Claims.

My invention relates to brief cases, school bags, zipper envelopes and various other carrying receptcles made of leather, imitation leather, leather substitutes and the like, wherein front and back walls are connected at their edges by gussets'to form a receptacle.

My invention relates to the construction of articles of the kind referred to by which a stiffening member may be provided around the end edges and the bottom edge of the article.

Heretofore two general methods have been proposed for applying a filling or stiffening member around the edges of a receptacle of the character set forth above. One method was to emboss a bead around the edges of the front and rear walls of the brief case, embed therein a stiffening strip, and then stitch a covering strip over the open side of the embossed bead to close in the stiffening strip. This method is not very practical because it is difficult to emboss a bead of sufficient depth in the heavy material, and it necessitates placing the stiffening strip some distance from the very edges of each wall; and the construction is expensive.

Another method is to apply a welt around the edges of the walls and to enclose the stiffening member in the loop of the welt.

This permits the stiffening member to extend beyond the edges of the Walls to act as a buffer, but the construction is expensive because the welt has to be formed with an adhesive or line of stitches to secure the stiffening member therein and then the welt must be stitched to the walls of the article, involving considerable hand work. Furthermore, this construction leaves several raw edges exposed, which is undesirable.

Under my invention I form the loop or bead by turning the edge of the gusset material, and placing the stiffening or buffer strip in the loop formed in the edges of the gusset, so that no separate piece is required to form the enclosure for the stiffening strip. The gusset is generally made of a more pliable and thinner material than the front and back walls of the article and this makes it easy to turn the edges of the gusset to form the loop for the stiffening strip.

Another object of my invention is to have the edges of the gusset where the enclosing loop is formed, turned in so that there are no raw edges left exposed, which is a very desirable feature from the standpoint of durability and appearance of the article.

The present device is less expensive to make than the articles made under either of the methods described.

Other features and advantages will be set forth in the following detailed description of my in- Vention.

In the drawing forming part of this application.

Brooklyn, N. Y.

, 1935, Serial No. 35,291

(Cl. ISO-1.6)

Figure 1 is a front elevation of. a brief case or school bag containing my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-4 of Figure 1 but on a larger scale,

Figure 3 is a perspective View of a portion of one of the walls and showing the method of applying the stiffening member,

Figure 4. is a perspective view showing a portion of the gusset with the stiffening strip therein and ready to be stitched to one of the walls of the receptacle,

Figure 5 is a similar view taken at one of the top corners of the gusset, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one form of reinforcing or stiffening member.

In the drawing I have shown as an example of one embodiment of my invention a brief case or school bag I of conventional form except for the embodiment of my invention therein. It is to be understood that the present invention may be applied to brief cases, school bags, zipper envelopes and various other receptacles made of leather, imitation leather, leather substitutes and the like, and the application of my invention to these various articles will be apparent from the following description of its embodiment in the brief case shown in the drawing. The brief case is shown as consisting primarily of a front wall 2, preferably of stiff material, which may be leather, imitation leather or leather substitute. The back Wall 3 is similar to the front wall and is substantially parallel therewith. The back wall is continued or extended to form a flap 4 which is adapted to be folded over the top edge ofv the front wall and the flap is shown provided with a hasp 5 adapted to co-operate with the lock 6 arranged on the front wall of the article to lock the flap in closed position. There are straps 1 shown as extending around the brief case, which are held in place by loops 8 attached at given positions on the brief case and the flap. The handle 9 may be attached to the wall which forms the rear wall and flap and along the line where the flap bends in relation to the rear wall, in accordance with common practice.

In addition to the above the case includes a gusset extending around the two end edges and bottom of the case, the gusset having one or more folds to complete the compartment formed by the walls of the case and to permit the case to expand and contract. I have shown a gusset Ill having a plurality of folds ll therein and it is to be understood that there may be one fold or any greater number according to the capacity of the case and in most respects the gusset shown herein conforms to that used generallyin brief cases and similar articles. If desired, vertical partitioning walls l2 may be provided to divide the interior of the case into a plurality of individual pockets, in which case the vertical divid- 60 ing walls will have three of their edges disposed in creases or folds I3 of the gusset, as shown in Figure 2 and stitched thereto by lines of stitching I4 all in accordance with common practice.

It is to beunderstood thatthe reinforcing or stiffening member may consist of a cord or braided wire or spring wire and by way of example I have shown in the drawing a spring wire as viewed in Figure 6 and formed of U shape to provide the vertical arms I5 to be applied along the end edges of the case and the connecting portion 16 to be applied along or adjacent to the bottom edge of the briefcase.

The free edges of the gusset are folded or turned back upon the gusset to form a tubular loop or hem E1 to provide a pocket for the reception of the stiffening member. As shown in Figure 2 the edge of the gusset is folded back and its free edge i8 is preferably secured to the outer surface of'the gusset after the stiffening member has been enclosed in the hem or loop I! and before the gusset is attached to the outerwalls of the brief case.

For instance, an adhesive may be applied between the bent back portion l8 and the wall of the gusset, but by preference I provide aline of stitching l9 passing through the folded back portion i8 .and the wall of the, gusset to secure 1 these two parts together in such form as to leave the loop I! projecting around the edge of the gusset and co-extensive with the two ends of the brief case and the bottom thereof. This stitching I9 is preferably applied or formed before the gusset is attached to the outer walls of the brief case as shown in Figure 4. As the material of the gusset is usually softer and more pliable than the outer walls of the brief case, it is a simple operation to turn the outer portion of the gusset to form the loop I! and to apply the line of stitching 9 to hold the loop in shape while the gusset is being attached to the outer walls of the brief case.

It is understood that the loop ll will be formed preferably continuous around the end edges and the bottom edge of the gusset, and formed at that end of the gusset which is to be attached to the .front wall 2 of the brief case as well as a similar loop H formed on that portion of the gusset which is to be attached to the rear wall 3 of the brief case. After the gusset has been prepared with the loops and with the stiffening members enclosed therein the next step is to secure the gusset to the front and rear walls of the brief case.- This is done by applying the gusset against,.say, the front wall of the brief case and then forming a line of stitches 20 passing through the gusset and the turned portion I 8 thereof, and through the front wall 2- a-short distance from the outer edge of the latter, as shown in Figure 2.

If the parts are disposed as shown in this figure the loop H with the stiffeningmember therein will project beyond the free edge 2! of the front wall to form a buffer in addition tostiffening the end and bottom edges of the case. y

In like manner the opposite-end of the gusset which has the loop ll formedtherein is attached to the rear wall of the brief case, also by a line of stitches 22 which passes through the wall of the gusset, the turned over portion 1 8 andthrough the wall 3 of the brief case, in the same manner asthe first end of the gusset was attached to the front wall, except that the positions are reversed;

that is to-say, in bothcases-the endsof the gusset lie against the inner surfaces of the front and rear walls 2, 3 as clearly shown in Figure 2. This construction, that is, the loop l1, I1 and the reinforcing member 23 extend around three sides of the gusset so that both ends of the case and the bottom are stiffened and protected both as to the front and rear walls.

As pointed out above, it is a simple and quick operation to form the loops in the gusset and to apply the stiffening members therein, and it is also. a simple and quick operation to attach the ends of the gusset to the front and rear walls of the case. With the parts constructed as shown in the drawing, there are no raw or free edges of the gusset exposed because the only edges of the gusset are enclosed between the main wall of the gusset and the front or rear wall of the case, and this is a very desirable advantage .because if the free edge of the gusset is exposed there is a tendency for the stitching to become loosened. Furthermore, the present construction presents a heater appearance because of the fact that the raw edges of the gusset are enclosed and hidden from view.

It will be apparent that the loop and stiffening member may be applied only to the edges of the front wall or only to the edges of the back wall of the brief case for such protection as this may provide, but it is preferable to duplicate the construction for both front and back walls.

The loops and stiifening members may, when disposed as shown in the drawing, form a buffer and protect the edges of the front and back walls in addition to stiffening the brief case and preventing the corners from turning.

As shown in Figure 5, a flap 24 may be formed of the gusset material just above the upper ends of the arms l of the stiffening member, which flap can be folded over the end of the stiffening member in order to hide the same and present a finished appearance. This flap is held down by the same line of stitches 20, or 22.

From the above it will be apparent that the loop or loops formed to enclose the stiffening member or members is very simply formed out of the gussetmaterial itself; that this loop or these loops may be very rapidly formed and by simple operations which are inexpensive; and that the gusset may be rapidly and inexpensively attached to the front and rear walls of the case by simple.

lines of stitching. If desired, a stiffening member may be attached around the edges of the flap 4 but my invention is concerned primarily with the formation of the ends and bottom of the case in accordance with the above description.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Ina brief case having front and rear sections defining. a receptacle, a gusset connecting said sections, said gusset at the edges thereof being folded back on itself to form loops adjacent said sections, and stiffening members positioned in said loops-and-secured to the gusset.

.2.-A briefcase comprising front and rear. panels and a series of pleated gusset pieces there between, each of said panels being connected to an adjacent pleated gusset piece by its outer side and bottom edges, all said edgeson said adjacent gusset pieces being reinforced by being lapped,- lover a wire cord and being connected by stitching,

the laps ofsaid gusset pieces lying between the said panels and the gusset piece.

. JACOB ROTH. 

